THE THIGPEN TRAIL

Our farm is located on the historic Thigpen Trail in the coastal plain of Southwest Georgia.  The original route was carved out by the Creek Indians and served as an early Native American trade path.  Although probably much older, the earliest record of the Trail’s existence is 1670, when it was used by the Spanish and English to trade with the Creeks.  The original route ran from Apalachicola, Florida, to the Carolinas, and connected there with other Native American trails that led into present-day New England and Canada.  The Thigpen Trail is said to have followed the high ground of the Chattahoochee Water Divide, avoiding the great swamps and rivers of the region.

In 1703, the Thigpen Trail became a military road and was used by English troops and their Creek allies to drive the Spanish out of the area.  As the only real road through Southwest Georgia, it became a wagon trail and thoroughfare for early settlers of the “Pine Barrens.”  The Thigpen Trail was also later used in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

We are fortunate to live on one of the few sections of the original route that retains the historical name.  James Thigpen of North Carolina, overseer of highways in 1703, is the trail’s namesake.  Although the Thigpen Trail bears the name of a white man, we wish to acknowledge that our Native American forefathers were the true pioneers of the route and the region.

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6273 Thigpen Trail  Doerun, Georgia  31744   •   Telephone: 706-255-4901
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